Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Either the Parliament will revise relevant rules or the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) may end up rejecting nomination papers of all the 28 Senate contenders from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) because of violation of a clause in the existing rules, a senior official at the Senate Secretariat said on Wednesday.

Speaking on condition of anonymity since he isn’t authorised to speak to the media, the official said that under the rules, an MNA could be the proposer or seconder of exactly one contender.

The nomination form for Senate election that is to be signed by candidates and their proposers and seconders contains the following clause: “I (the lawmaker) hereby certify that I have not subscribed to any other nomination paper in this election either proposer or seconder.”

The Secretariat official said this limitation on MNAs letting them be the proposer or seconder of just one aspirant for Senate could create hurdles in Senate election on seats reserved for FATA.

“Each FATA MNA has already proposed and seconded more than two candidates simultaneously. This can create hurdles in the entire FATA Senate election process,” the official said.

A total of 28 candidates have filed their nomination papers for the four FATA Senate seats.

Each MNA can caste four votes i.e. give names of their four priority contenders. Aspirants will require at least six votes to win the seat.

Among FATA MNAs, some have gotten together and are known as Independent Group. The group is considered to be on a much firmer footing to influence election outcome. It comprises MNAs Bilalur Rehman, Shahji Gul Afridi, Bismillah Khan, Sajjid Turi, G. G. Jamal and Nasir Khan Afridi.

The rest of the lawmakers have no united front. Shahabuddin, Muhammad Nazeer and State Minister for States and Frontier Region (SAFRON) Ghalib Khan Wazir are with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). Qaisar Jamal is with Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) and Maulana Jamaluddin is with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam- Fazl (JUI-F).

Political experts predict that the Independent Group is likely to secure all four seats.

Nomination papers have been filed by Sajid Hussain Turi from Parachinar Upper Kurrum; Hidyatullah from Bajaur Agency; Shammim Afridi from Kohat; Malik Najmul Hassan from Orakzai Agency; Shoaib Hassan from Orakzai Agency; Haider Shah from Bajaur Agency; Hilalur Rehman from Mohmond Agency; Mirza Muhammad Afridi from Khyber Agency; Irfanullah from Khyber Agency; Tahir Iqbal from Orakzai Agency; Abdul Razaq from Dara Adam Khel FR Kohat; Adnan Sattar from Kurrum Agency; Syed Akhunzada Chattan from Bajaur Agency; Saleh from South Waziristan Agency; Mirza Muhammad Afridi from Khyber Agency; Faizur Rehman from Dara Adam Khan FR Kohat; Syed Jamal from Kurram Agency; Shahid Hussain from Khyber Agency; Pir Muhammad Aqeel Shah from North Waziristan; Shabhan Ali from Orakzai Agency; Haji Khan from Khyber Agency; Zaiur Rehman from South Waziristan; Malik Afzal Din Khan from Kurrum Agency; Syed Ghazi Ghazan Jamal from Hangu; Farhad Shabab from Khyber Agency; Jangrez Khan from Mohmand Agency; Shah Khalid from Khyber Agency; and Nizamud-Din Khan from Bajaur Agency.

Published in Daily Times, February 15^th 2018.